Bike Share Expansion

Want a bike share station near your house or by the best place for ice cream? Now's your chance to let us know.

Program Menu

Our public bike share system is getting bigger and even better. We will add more than 70 new stations in Boston, starting in 2018. We're bringing service to new neighborhoods and adding capacity in our existing service area. We need your help in finding the best locations for these new stations.

Location Selection Process

From June 2017 through spring 2018, you will have lots of opportunities to help us select where are our new stations will go!

Share InformationJune – August 2017We are sharing information with neighborhood associations and community organizations across most of Boston about our planning process.

Suggest via an Online MapJune – November 2017Tell us where you want to see future stations! Visit suggest.thehubway.com to see where stations are today, add the locations you like, and share your thoughts on your neighbors' suggestions. We will use these suggestions to begin looking for great bike share sites.

Participate in WorkshopsSeptember – November 2017We are hosting dozens of public workshops across the City to share our preliminary thoughts on viable locations for bike share stations. You and your neighbors will work together around our maps, discuss the best options, and suggest other locations we could explore. Each workshop focuses on the surrounding neighborhoods, but materials will be available to discuss all neighborhoods under consideration for the expansion. You are welcome to join any workshop.

View Proposed MapsJanuary – February 2018We will use your suggestions from public workshops and online to create maps of potential locations. We will post these maps online and announce that they are available.

Attend Open HousesFebruary – March 2018We will schedule a number of open house events to show maps of our proposed station sites. Drop in and let us know what you think!

Get Ready to RideSummer 2018After collecting your final comments on our proposed maps, we will move ahead with locating and permitting the final locations. We'll post the final plans online. Stations will be placed in waves, and turned on as soon as they're installed. Get ready for a great summer of biking in Boston!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events available at this time.

What makes a good location for bike share stations?

Stations can be placed in the street, on sidewalks or plazas, and on private property.

A typical Hubway station has 19 bike docks, a kiosk for rental transactions, a solar panel, and a map panel. It measures 51 feet by 6 feet.

Smaller stations are possible, but they don't hold as many bikes. Our small stations are 41 feet by 6 feet. We've found that stations any smaller are too often full of bikes or completely empty, which makes the system less reliable for residents.

We also have larger stations in Boston. Our bigger stations are good for busier areas and at locations that see a high number of regular commuters.

Being Dense Is a Good Thing

You may hear us talk about the importance of "station density." Basically, we want to be sure bike share stations are not too far apart from each other. More nearby stations also means more places to find a dock or a bike. If a station is full or empty, you’ll be confident there is another one close by for you to use. Studies show that people use bike share more often when stations are close together. Good station density also helps us improve the reliability of the system. Our teams work throughout the day in response to demand for bikes or empty docks. The more docks in an area, the easier it is for our team to provide enough bikes for everyone.

Our goal is for stations to be no further than a few minute's walk from you. Where a lot of people are looking to use the system, we want you to find a station by walking between 3 and 5 minutes. In neighborhoods that are further from the system's center, you may need to walk up to 10 minutes.

Off-Street

When we put stations on sidewalks, we need to be careful to leave at least five feet of clear space for pedestrians, strollers, and people in wheelchairs. If a station can be placed against a building, the sidewalk needs to be at least 11' wide. If the station is along the curb, we will need to offset the station another 1.5' to 3' to allow for curbside furniture and the opening of car doors. Two-thirds of Boston's bike share stations are located on sidewalks or plazas.

In-Street

We can put stations in most places where parked cars could go. Our stations provide parking for 19 bikes in the same space as about 3 cars. Since stations have a lower physical profile than parked cars, they can be placed near intersections to make it easier for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. On busier streets, we will often orient the station so that people can access the bikes from the sidewalk side. This helps keep everyone safer.

ON PRIVATE PROPERTY

Sometimes, we can put stations on privately-owned property. These locations need to be publicly-accessible at all times and relatively easy for our crews to service. Most importantly, the land-owners must agree to have our stations on their property and sign legal documents. Some areas that seem to be part of the public sidewalk or public plaza are privately-owned.

Visible Locations

Stations with good visibility help people feel safe using bike share. Visible stations are in spots with good night-time lighting, near destinations, and easy to spot from the street. Stations are placed to minimize conflicts with people walking, biking and driving.

Sunny Spots

All of our stations are powered by the sun. Without enough exposure to sunlight, they won't work.

Clear of Utilities

Stations cannot block utility access points such as fire hydrants, sewer grates, and manholes. We want workers to have quick access so they can maintain essential services.

Open for Business

Our teams also need to be able to access stations regularly for bike rebalancing and general maintenance. They usually come by van or bike and need to stop nearby.

2017 Expansion Planning Workshops Schedule

We are hosting dozens of public workshops across the City in the fall of 2017. You and your neighbors will work together around our maps, discuss options for new station locations, and suggest the locations we should explore. Suggestions from these workshops and our online suggestion map will be the basis for our preliminary maps, to be released in early 2018. We've also provided the presentation so that you can view it on your own time.

Participants will focus on the workshop's neighborhood, but materials will be available to discuss all neighborhoods under consideration for the expansion. You are welcome to join any workshop and as many workshops as you'd like. Snacks are provided by our friends at CLIF.